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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Celebrating The Good

Well the special days of May continue....yesterday, May 6, was National Nurse Day. I happen to have several very special friends who are amazing nurses . Not only that, but while we have been a fairly healthy family, the few times we have been in the hospital, we have been so incredibly blessed with wonderful wonderful nurses. So here's to all the nurses out there! You are most certainly appreciated by our family!

Today, May 7, is Teacher Appreciation Day. This is a special day in several ways. As a student, I had some fantastic teachers...just thinking about it...several immediately come to mind. Their influence on my life is unmeasurable and I am forever grateful. I had some really really good ones.

As a parent, our boys have been blessed with the best of the best in teachers. As I think about the various teachers they have had over the years, I mentally start making a list of those treasured instructors and the blessings they each were in the lives of our children.

As a teacher, I smile at the thought of the incredible men and women I was so blessed to work with over my five years of teaching in a classroom. Their support was huge...but they were also so free to share with me ideas, training, and help. They made me a better teacher and I am so much better for knowing each one of them.

As a homeschooling mom/teacher, I hold years of precious memories in my heart. Teaching our Engineer to read....hours snuggled on the sofa with my two little guys lost in the wonder of a great novel....sharing in an eyes-sparkling-lopsided-grin as an A+ is marked at the top of a paper....little brother asking big brother to teach him how to do math....watching goggle-covered eyes dance with excitement as little hands chip away at a block of sand "digging for dinosaur bones"....and a teenager's shy, but very proud grin at the score earned on a college entrance exam...

You see...for me...this is a day I can sit back in appreciation to God for the teachers he has brought into my life and the lives of my children...and for the years He gave me to delight in the teaching of my own two boys. If I've never said it, Lord. Thank You so very much. I really really appreciate it all.
With a grateful heart to all nurses and teachers, I worked on my May Quests these past two days.

Pray for Someone
In the spirit of appreciation....my Someones yesterday and today were Hubby and our Engineer. Over the weekend Hubby and I had a slight disagreement. It wasn't a big blowout crazy fight. I think/hope we have outgrown anything like that...now that we are older and more mellow, we just don't have quite the fight in us we once had...(Thank You Lord!)

Anyway, we had a little disagreement and stumbled through a couple days of not being where we like our relationship to be...which is more of a "two as one" team attitude, not the "I want my own way" feeling that was hanging in the air. So...knowing I had added my fair share to that feeling...I decided I needed to make Hubby my Someone. I prayed for him all day on Monday.

Now, as you may have guessed, I do pray for Hubby each day, but Monday I spent time thanking God for all of the good and wonderful qualities I love about him. This helped me to have more of an attitude of gratitude for the awesome man that he is...instead of focusing on the injustice of having to live with the couple of little things that bug me.

And let me tell you...it was a long prayer...because truly...God has gifted me with the very best help mate for me. I love this man deeply. I am more grateful for him than words could express in a blog post. Sometimes I allow little silly nothings to cloud that truth. So when that happened...I spent a day of praise and thankfulness for all the good that is my man.

Today was another celebration of prayer. This time for our Engineer. His first two years of high school were not exactly what we had planned for him. We moved him far away from his school and his friends. We decided to return to homeschooling after several years in a private Christian school. We had to start life over several states away from all he knew. And it certainly wasn't easy...especially at first.

He made new friends...and then most of them moved away. He was lost in a new big youth group at church. He felt like the odd man out wherever he went. Did I mention his dog (the one he had had since he was three) died suddenly after the move? Then his great grandma passed away....then his great grandpa. It was tough...especially at 14.

But he persevered. He spent time reading his Bible and in prayer. He grew closer to God as he worked through the first difficult year. And slowly things started to feel more comfortable. Life got a little bit more enjoyable.

He matured, smiled more, laughed easier, began to cherish his time with Hubby and me. He learned to drive and became more independent. He grew up so much in the past year....right before our very eyes...and we have watched it happen with such thanksgiving.

Today, I spent time thanking God for all the blessings he has bestowed on our Engineer. I am most grateful for all the good work God has done in him and I am excited for the next couple of years we have with our Engineer at home.

Do A Good Deed
I have come to realize that Good Deeds don't have to be big, planned out events. Sometimes the little things just might mean even more...

Yesterday, as I checked out in the grocery store, I found myself hurrying...as usual...when my bagger asked me a question. I had been busy loading bags into my cart, and had not even given him a glance. I stopped, looked him in the eye, and with a smile answered him.

My bagger was a little older than me and had some special needs. When I stopped to pay attention, I was so taken with him. We chatted for a few minutes...even continuing the conversation after he had finished bagging my groceries.

He was delightful and I enjoyed the few minutes we shared small talk and laughter. It only took a few extra minutes of my time...what was I in such a hurry about anyway? When he realized I was willing to take a few minutes to talk...to listen...to laugh with him...well, he just lit up. And I'm so glad I did that, because I truly would have missed out on the blessing of meeting him.

Today, our family celebrated Someone's success. Someone we love achieved something worth honoring and Hubby and I took some time to make this Someone feel special about this great accomplishment.

These past two days have been focused on good happy times. While there are so many worthy prayer requests that have come to me, and I am honored to be trusted with these concerns, it was nice to take a couple of days to focus on the good gifts that God has given.

Please contact me if you have something you would like me to pray about for you.

My 2013 Inspiration Verse

My Life Inspiration Verses

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. ~Jeremiah 29:11-14a